Heat pipe structure

ABSTRACT

The heat pipe structure includes a pipe body, hollow groove and capillary tissue. The pipe body contains a heat-conducting end and a radiating end. The capillary tissue of a predefined thickness is adapted to an inner wall of the pipe body. The inner surface of capillary tissue is located correspondingly to the section of the heat-conducting end, where a portion with greater thickness is shaped from another section of the capillary tissue. The portion is of single side, a plurality of sides or annular structure. Thus, the heat conduction efficiency of the heat-conducting end greatly improves. The non heat-conducting sections of the capillary tissue remain still with respect to thickness, and the guide space expands to facilitate guiding of gaseous working fluid to the radiating end, thus achieving an optimum heat radiation effect.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a heat pipe, and moreparticularly to an innovative heat pipe with a capillary structure.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

A heat pipe mainly comprises a pipe body, vacuum groove, capillarytissue and working fluid. According to the operating principle of theheat pipe, a heat source contacts the heat-conducting end of the heatpipe, so that the working fluid evaporates into a gaseous state, andthen the working fluid is guided to the radiating end, where the workingfluid is condensed into a liquid state in such a cold environment.Finally, the capillary tissue absorbs the working fluid as liquid backto the heat-conducting end as a cycle.

The capillary tissue of typical heat pipe is shown in FIG. 1, whereinthe inner side 12 of the capillary tissue 11 of the heat pipe 10 has aflat surface. It is observed from the known applications that, as theheat-conducting end 13 of the heat pipe 10 is concerned, the heatconduction and vaporization effect of working fluid will be impaired ifthe capillary tissue 11 is very thin due to the flat surface of innerside 12 of the capillary tissue 11. However, if the capillary tissue 11becomes thicker, the remaining space of the heat pipe 10 will be cutdown, and the flow efficiency of gaseous working fluid will be affected,making it impossible to further improve the heat radiation effect.

Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it wouldbe an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that cansignificantly improve efficacy.

Therefore, the inventor has provided the present invention ofpracticability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years ofexperience in the production, development and design of relatedproducts.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based upon an innovation of the present invention that the capillarytissue has a partially-thick portion, the heat conduction andvaporization effect of working fluid improves, thus significantlyincreasing heat conduction efficiency of the heat-conducting end of aheat pipe. Since the non-heat-conducting sections of the inner surfaceof capillary tissue remain at the same thickness, the guide space isexpanded to facilitate guiding of gaseous working fluid to the radiatingend, thus achieving an optimum heat radiation effect.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a typical heat pipe structure.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the heat pipestructure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the molding method of the stagedcapillary tissue of the heat pipe of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows another sectional view of the staged capillary tissue ofthe heat pipe of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows another sectional view of arrangement of capillary tissueof the heat pipe of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows another sectional view of arrangement of capillary tissueof the heat pipe with a thick portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The features and the advantages of the present invention will be morereadily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present inventionwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1-3 depict preferred embodiments of the present invention. Theembodiments are provided only for explanatory purposes. The scope of theinvention is set by the patent claims.

The heat pipe A includes a pipe body 20, hollow groove 23, and capillarytissue 30 within the pipe body 20. The pipe body 20 contains aheat-conducting end 21 and a radiating end 22, while the capillarytissue 30 of predefined thickness is adapted annularly to the inner wallof pipe body 20, e.g. sintered from metal grains. For the inner surface31 of said capillary tissue 30 corresponding to the heat-conducting end21 of the pipe body 20, a portion 32 of the capillary tissue 30 has athickness greater than said capillary tissue 30 in other sections of thepipe body 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, said portion 32 with greater thickness is arrangedonto one side of the inner surface 31 of the capillary tissue 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, a portion 32B with greater thickness is arrangedonto a plurality of sides of the inner surface 31 of capillary tissue 30or in an annular manner.

FIG. 3 depicts the molding method of portion 32 of the inner surface 31of the capillary tissue 30. A mould core 40 with an eccentric side 41 isinserted into the hollow groove 23 of the pipe body 20 as a fixture.After the capillary tissue 30 is adapted to the inner wall of the pipebody 20 and then shaped, the mould core 40 is pulled out, thus formingsaid portion 32 with greater thickness through the eccentric side 41 ofthe mould core 40.

Based upon above-specified structures that the heat pipe A of thepresent invention allows shaping of a portion 32 with greater thicknessthrough the inner surface 31 of the capillary tissue 30, the portion 32with greater thickness increases the thickness of capillary tissue 30,thus enlarging the volume of capillary tissue 30 and improving theheat-absorbing and conduction for higher vaporization efficiency ofworking fluid. Since the portion 32 with greater thickness is locatedcorrespondingly to the heat-conducting end 21 of the pipe body 20, theheat-conducting end 21 contacts the predefined heat source (e.g. a CPUof a computer), thus helping to improve the overall heat-radiationefficiency of heat pipe.

Referring to FIG. 5, said capillary tissue 30 is also adaptedtransversely to an inner wall of the pipe body 20 (e.g. the capillarytissue is only arranged at bottom of the inner wall of pipe body),whilst the portion 32 with greater thickness of the preferred embodimentis composed of a staged section of the capillary tissue 30.

Referring also to FIG. 6, the capillary tissue 30 is also adaptedtransversely to an inner wall of the pipe body 20. The difference withFIG. 5 is that the portion 32 with greater thickness is composed ofcapillary tissue 30 with greater thickness marked at 32 compared tothickness at 31, wherein 31 is now located at the end of the pipe body.

1. A heat pipe structure, comprising: a pipe body, having aheat-conducting end, a radiating end, an inner wall, and a hollowgroove; and capillary tissue of a predefined thickness, adapted to saidinner wall of said pipe body, said capillary tissue having an innersurface opposite said pipe body and a portion, with greater thicknessthan capillary tissue in other sections of said pipe and being locatedcorrespondingly to said heat-conducting end of said pipe body.
 2. Thestructure defined in claim 1, wherein said portion with greaterthickness is arranged onto one side of said inner surface of saidcapillary tissue.
 3. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein saidportion with greater thickness is arranged onto a plurality of sides ofsaid inner surface of said capillary tissue or in an annular manner. 4.The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said hollow groove of saidpipe body has a mould core inserted therein, forming said portion withgreater thickness by moulding, said mould core being inserted by aneccentric side thereof.
 5. The structure defined in claim 1, whereinsaid capillary tissue is arranged annularly onto said inner wall of thepipe body, or only adapted transversely to said inner wall of said pipebody.